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Identifying Ducks

Skill at identifying in flight is important to limit harvest of
less numerous duck species. Species with special restrictions are as follows:

Black Duck and Female Mallard

Both birds have white underwings, but the black duck's darker body contrasts more
sharply with the underwing than does the brown body of the female mallard. Mallards have
white wing bars on both edges of the blue speculum. The black duck usually has none or
only a thin white bar on the back edge of the speculum.

Black Duck

Hen Mallard

Wood Duck

This medium-sized duck frequents wooded ponds, streams and marshes statewide,
especially early in the season. Drakes are very colorful, and hens and drakes have
colorful wings with blue, maroon and silver hues. Calls are whistles and squeals.

Male

Female

Pintail

Pintails are puddle ducks, that frequent marshes. They are about the size of a mallard
but slimmer in appearance. Few are well colored before December; most appear gray. The
female wing speculum is cinnamon-colored, while the male speculum is green with a white
trailing edge.

Male

Female

Redhead

This large diving duck has the shape of a mallard but is more uniformly brown or gray,
with an unmarked gray wing speculum. Well-colored males have a chestnut red head. This
bird frequents the open waters of large and small lakes, like the canvasback.

Male

Female

Canvasback

This large, mallard-sized diving duck has a characteristic wedge-shaped head and is
usually found on the open waters of large and small lakes. Well-colored males have a red
head.

Male

Female

Scaup

These birds are medium-to-small diving ducks. Greater and lesser scaup (bluebill) appear nearly identical in the field; however the white band near the trailing edges of the wings runs almost to the tip in the greater scaup, but only about halfway in the lesser.